Still today Quebec’s official welcome to non-Catholic immigrants in addition to the huge crucifix atop Mount Royal in Montreal are wall mounted crucifix and their public prayers.
Quebec’s Catholics special religious rights goes back to the Quebec Act of 1774, and is central to the asymmetrical features of Confederation in the British North America Act of 1867. This The Quebec Act explicitly guaranteed the freedom to practice the Catholic faith. It also restored French civil law alongside the British common law even till today. Furthermore, the Quebec Act allowed Catholics to hold public office, and removed a reference to the Protestant denomination in the office holders’ oath of allegiance to the king of England. It also allowed the Catholic church to collect the religious tax known as the tithe… https://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/the-not-so-secret/
The Catholic church collects tithes, but so do many evangelical churches, and some cults too.. even though tithes is applicable only in the Old Testament and to the Jewish persons only too. The Tithe in the new Testament is voluntary, non compulsive.. but the problem also today still is that many of the people who collect the tithe, violate often the OT laws on tithing and do steal from the tithe as well.. the OT had specified 1/7 of the tithe had to be given to the poor.. something the present tithe collectors do not mention, do not preach nor practise wrongfully in reality..
I have been a church secretary now in my life as well and here I had thus also first learned that not everyone in the church is honest, not just about financial matters now too.
While God does not command mandatory tithing in the New Testament, I might expect that God will bless some of the people who voluntarily tithe, give ten percent of all their income to God, in the place God specially now tells them to give too, for God diligently rewards those who put their trust in Him, obeys and follows his revealed will to them, but for sure God does not bless all of the tithers, for it depends on the initial reasons as to why they do tithe, which too often they can still be wrong reasons, selfish, self centered reasons like seeking self prosperity, financial security or showing off, boasting. For a true godly Christian believer is already promised now personal security in God, and all of their needs, not wants and desires , to be meet..
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
(Luke 14:26 KJV) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:33 KJV) So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Just like today in social aid, the people receiving social aid they now cannot own major tangible property, real estate, so any of the people, priests receiving the old testament tithes they also could not own any major tangible, real estate properties.. but today the false priest, pastors who are demanding on receiving tithes they falsely also do want to still own a home… to enjoy the monetary rewards of both.. they are still equivalent of welfare cheats!!!!
I admit I have been really surprised for decades in Canada as to how crooked too many non profitable, religious, charitable organizations now are , as well as the professionals themselves such as lawyers, accountants, realtors, pastors and I have said that now many times too. In reality too many people left on their own will continue to cheat, lies, steal, abuse others, the pastors and cops, politicians included now. They all need to be regulated, supervised by the governments and some now rightfully even arrested too. A man’s enemies, bullies and thieves will be those persons even from his own family are still a reality too.
I had also attended a Latter Rain Movement Church for while too, loved it, and it’s theology was great too.. But I know from many years of experiences that 70 percent of pastors are bad, hypocrites, pretenders.. in all denominations.. and I think that people who are so called experts on something they have never experienced are still just big liars, hypocrites, bullies, false teachers, false prophets..
Being a professional Engineer I was used to the Organization Chart. So when I had joined the local Fellowship Baptist Church I asked the pastor 3 simple, basic questions..
1: Pastor can you defend your role, position from the Bible..
The response was yes, the Bible says the pastor is a captain of the ship… oops that was a Scofield note.. not the Bible itself.. many people seem to believe Scofield over the Bible
2: Next I asked him, the pastor if there was such as an an empowering to be able to live a Christian Life, and he responded no! Unbelievable, he has been in the dark ages so long too!
3: Pastor do you know for sure God called you into the Ministry? Answer no!!
Sadly I interviewed next many Canadian pastors in my life, and most were not any better too.
Now I have no problem with any church collecting the tithe as long as they give an honest, detailed account of where the money was being spent which in fact too often is not done these days, especially in the Christian Missionary Alliance Churches, or the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada where the churches not not local, congregationally run or owned, rather they are an incorporated Corporation, corruption existing mainly it seems to provide security and jobs for their pastors.. etc., Sadly the donations, the incomes, the Monies – filthy lucre, for some reasons too often do not reach designated targets and are secretly diverted elsewhere as well and undeniably too.
Furthermore for a start most churches ask you to the, give ten percent of your income to the church, but tithing is also an old testament concept and not enforceable in the new testament. In the old testament the tithers, and those who received the tithers had to insure that 1/7 of the donations were given to the local poor people. So I asked any church that advocated tithe that they prove as well they have kept this Biblical requirements, for almost none do it for it start. On top of that any clergy receiving tithing in the old testament was not allowed to own any real estate , tangible property too. If you are going to preach the law here on tithing too, then you yourself should observe all of it, not just mostly steal the tithe.
Also Jesus never sold one Sermon of his, nor the Apostles, or any of their books, … so I rightfully cannot stand those greedy, money lusting charlatans who clearly try to make money by selling Christian literature, tapes, music, or what ever on the subject of Prophecy, healing, etc., .. and no matter what their excuses are now too.. Jesus said as you have freely received so freely give. And that is what I have done the last 4 decades too… and so should we all, trusting in the Faith for God to supply our needs, not begging for money, or wrongfully stealing by pretending to be a non profitable tax exempt corporation, organization basically so not to pay taxes as well.. How greedy can you get and pretend it to be Christian now too is the game many wrongfully play too even by Church pastors, elders, deacons….
You would be surprised how many Protestant, Catholics, evangelicals, and cults like Mormons practise tax evasion now too.. much too many for a start too.
Now there is another common scam I do not like, groups, churches who often choose a valid cause, since the best way to catch fish, suckers is with live bait, and then do next do ask for related donations, money.. this advertised cause tends to be rather an inefficient self employment creation, and is not a real public services.. for to get most complaints, issues handled properly all you do generally have to do is to post it firstly on the net, and also write to the News media with copies to the elected representatives too. You do not need a useless, costly organization even to do this firstly.
It seems these days that even the Citizens, TV evangelists, Pastors, cops, politicians, Ministers tend to be still next equally all bad if left on their own, unsupervised? and rapidly go downhill.
and to all of those evangelical distorters too, cheap skates, unloving persons, incompassionate ones.. as even per the Book of Acts the Church of Jesus Christ while it did not enforce the tithe, it did set up deacons, collection of money weekly to help the local poor people even in the local church.. something all pastors, evangelists should be enforcing now still today too… not rather stealing the money for themselves, falsely living high on the hog..
Just like for soical aid benfefitst the Old Testament Levites, and the poor persons who could enjoy the benefits of the tithes they do not own or could not own any land, or a house. The Lord God stated that the Levites would have no inheritance of land but would be given a portion of the tithe instead. Such an injunction would also apply today to anyone claiming a right to a tithe too.
Deuteronomy 14:22-29 (NIV) 22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. 24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), 2 5 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. 27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. 28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
(1 Cor 10:24 KJV) Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.
and that means caring about their physical well being now as well.
(Isa 58:6 KJV) Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?(Dan 4:27 KJV) Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.(Mat 10:42 KJV) And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. (Mat 25:37 KJV) Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
No matter what the goal is, or how valueable it maybe, leading others to Christ included, the ends do not justify the means by anyone, pastors, elders, deacons, others , and cheating, lying, stealing included now.. How you get there is as important as where you are going. Asked also now Moses and all the people of Israel who missed the promised Land cause they had simply refused to do it God’s way.
(Mat 5:19 KJV) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
https://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/false/
>>your false assertion of “70 percent of pastors in ALL denominations
One calling me a liar indicates firstly that this PASTOR himself has a serious personal problems.. he now should get his needed professional help first.
I do not debate the truth.. or his ignorance.. nor do I debate with fools.. simply ask most people and they will say the pastors, evangelist these days are mostly bad!
NEXT THESE FALSE PERSONAL ATTACKS OF ME ARE MADE BY REALLY BAD PEOPLE IN DENIAL WHO CANNOT FACE NEGATIVE REALTIES AND TRUTHS..
and they should get a real life with Jesus first too… instead of repenting the still foolish persons try to deny their sins.
(Neh 4:7 KJV) But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, 8 And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. 9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
It is still interesting reality that when the truth is preached, proclaimed the devil will always try to challenge it next, by sending someone to dispute it, stop the work of God. We see plenty examples of the devil’s followers doing this also in the Bible in the book of Nehemiah as well. yes if the devil cannot stop you himself, discourage , detour you with his evil spirits, he will use one of his demon possessed earthly followers in human form, some backslider even, next to do it, even the wolves in sheep clothing too. To whom we give no attention not even for one minute.
(Mat 6:1 KJV) Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
(Mat 16:6 KJV) Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
(Mat 18:10 KJV) Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
(Mat 24:4 KJV) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
(Mark 4:24 KJV) And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
(Mark 13:9 KJV) But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
(Mark 13:23 KJV) But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
(Mark 13:33 KJV) Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
(Luke 11:35 KJV) Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
(Luke 12:15 KJV) And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
(Luke 17:3 KJV) Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
(Luke 21:8 KJV) Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
(Luke 21:34 KJV) And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
(Acts 20:28 KJV) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
(Rom 11:21 KJV) For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
(1 Cor 3:10 KJV) According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
(1 Cor 8:9 KJV) But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
(1 Cor 10:12 KJV) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
(Gal 5:15 KJV) But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
(Col 4:17 KJV) Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
(1 Tim 1:4 KJV) Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
(1 Tim 4:1 KJV) Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
(1 Tim 4:16 KJV) Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
(Titus 1:14 KJV) Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
(Heb 2:1 KJV) Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
(Heb 3:12 KJV) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
(2 Pet 1:19 KJV) We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
(2 Cor 4:5 KJV) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
(2 Cor 4:7 KJV) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
(2 Cor 4:8 KJV) We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
(2 Cor 4:9 KJV) Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
(2 Cor 4:10 KJV) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
(2 Cor 4:11 KJV) For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
(2 Cor 5:1 KJV) For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
(2 Cor 5:2 KJV) For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
(2 Cor 5:3 KJV) If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
(2 Cor 5:4 KJV) For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
(2 Cor 5:5 KJV) Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
(2 Cor 5:6 KJV) Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
(2 Cor 5:7 KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
(2 Cor 5:8 KJV) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
(2 Cor 5:9 KJV) Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
(2 Cor 5:10 KJV) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
(2 Cor 5:11 KJV) Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
(Rom 4:8 KJV) Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
(Rom 9:28 KJV) For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
(Rom 12:11 KJV) Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
(Rom 12:19 KJV) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
(Rom 13:14 KJV) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
(Rom 14:8 KJV) For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
(Rom 14:11 KJV) For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
(Rom 15:30 KJV) Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
(1 Cor 1:3 KJV) Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Cor 1:31 KJV) That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
(1 Cor 2:8 KJV) Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
(1 Cor 2:16 KJV) For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(1 Cor 3:5 KJV) Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
(1 Cor 3:20 KJV) And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
(1 Cor 4:4 KJV) For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
(1 Cor 11:32 KJV) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
(1 Cor 12:3 KJV) Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
(1 Cor 14:37 KJV) If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
(1 Cor 15:47 KJV) The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
(1 Cor 15:58 KJV) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
(2 Cor 6:17 KJV) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
(2 Cor 6:18 KJV) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
(2 Cor 8:5 KJV) And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
(2 Cor 8:21 KJV) Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
(2 Cor 10:17 KJV) But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
(2 Cor 10:18 KJV) For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.
(Gal 5:10 KJV) I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
(Gal 6:17 KJV) From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
(Eph 4:1 KJV) I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
(Eph 4:17 KJV) This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
(Eph 5:8 KJV) For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
(Eph 5:10 KJV) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
(Eph 5:17 KJV) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
(Eph 5:19 KJV) Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
(Eph 5:22 KJV) Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
(Eph 6:1 KJV) Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
(Eph 6:4 KJV) And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
(Eph 6:7 KJV) With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
(Eph 6:8 KJV) Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
(Eph 6:10 KJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
(Phil 3:1 KJV) Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
(Phil 3:20 KJV) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
(Phil 4:1 KJV) Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
(Phil 4:4 KJV) Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
(Phil 4:5 KJV) Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
(Col 1:10 KJV) That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
(Col 2:6 KJV) As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
(Col 3:16 KJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
(Col 3:17 KJV) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
(Col 3:23 KJV) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
(Col 3:24 KJV) Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
(1 Th 4:2 KJV) For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
(1 Th 4:6 KJV) That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
(1 Th 5:2 KJV) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
(2 Th 1:7 KJV) And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
(2 Th 1:9 KJV) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
(2 Th 2:8 KJV) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
(2 Th 2:13 KJV) But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
(2 Th 3:3 KJV) But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
(1 Tim 5:21 KJV) I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
(2 Tim 2:19 KJV) Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
(2 Tim 2:22 KJV) Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
(2 Tim 2:24 KJV) And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
(2 Tim 4:14 KJV) Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
(2 Tim 4:17 KJV) Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
(2 Tim 4:18 KJV) And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
(Rev 14:13 KJV) And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
(Rev 19:1 KJV) And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
(Rev 19:6 KJV) And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
(Rev 21:22 KJV) And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
(Rev 22:5 KJV) And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
http://postedat.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/secret-tithing/
https://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/i-have-learned-decades-and-decades-ago-that-the-brethren-are-deceitful/
(Gal 2:10 KJV) Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
Missing the point? 
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Comment by thenonconformer — July 23, 2008 @ 1:55 am
Tithe – Support for the poor
Tags: biblical giving, blessing of tithe, curse of tithe, Deuteronomy 14, did jesus tithe, did the apostles tithe, is tithe for the needy, is tithe for the pastor, is tithing legal, is tithing right, Malachi 3, mandatory tithe, Matthew 23:23, Tithe, tithe new covenant, tithing, tithing old covenant, when did the tithe start, who should get the tithe, why not tithe, why tithe | by Caught Thinking
So as we see in Deuteronomy, a portion of the tithe was to be given to the Levites and the poor. Let’s make sure we understand this. This should not be interpreted “the rich” and “the poor.” No. The Levites, not all of whom were priests, were without an inheritance, because they were set aside to the work of the temple.
You would not find those serving in the temple in the upper echelons of their society like you readily find in ours. Today, you find the servants of God boasting about driving the most expensive cars and living in multiple luxurious complexes all over the country and world, in the name of God, no less. Not then!
See, what today’s church has gotten into the habit of doing is only taking from scripture what supports their position and or desire; in this case, their endeavors to be rich, famous and powerful. If we were to apply the tithe as law to today’s church, we would have to demand that those dedicated to the work of the lord — to include missionaries, cleaning staff, along with pastors, bishops, musicians, and anyone else who, because of their call to serve the people of God, have had to walk away from all other profitable ventures — be limited to a livable wage. Here’s the balance. We don’t want them in lack, yet they are not called to a life that allows for excess. Their inheritance is the Lord, or will come directly from the Lord. If one wants to be rich, famous and powerful, and if that is the ambition they hold, so sorry. Wrong tribe, wrong calling!
The blatant irony here is that the old covenant law of tithe is now used to coerce and manipulate people into guilt, submission, and giving.
This is done in decided disregard for clear scripture that says giving should never be done under these conditions. 2 Co 9:7
Imagine that a man put a gun to a woman’s head, poised and ready to shoot, and then asked that woman, “Will you marry me?” If she says “Yes,” I would guess that it may not be because she loves him. She’s afraid! So many preachers and pastors are happily enjoying the benefits of their fear-induced rhetoric. Malachi also has this to say.
Malachi 3:5 “Yes, I’m on my way to visit you with Judgment. I’ll present compelling evidence against sorcerers, adulterers, liars, those who exploit workers, those who take advantage of widows and orphans, those who are inhospitable to the homeless – anyone and everyone who doesn’t honor me.” A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
The fact remains that we are undoubtedly not under the old covenant. We are stewards, and we recognize that it’s not 10% percent of what we have that belongs to God. It’s 100%.
Let’s be honest. The problem is that if we teach this truth, we have no idea how much people will give to our ministries. The fact that ministries are known and identified as “ours” is indicative of the problem.
Even in finances, especially as pastors and leaders of the church, we are called to walk by faith and not by sight, are we not? Walk by faith and not by pledges. Walk by faith and not by ill-gotten or manipulated gain. Walk by faith, and that means trusting God to lead His people in the area of giving and trusting the people to give to advance the kingdom of God and take care of the poor.
We ask people to trust God by giving a tithe. I sometimes wonder if we’re not really pressuring them to tithe because we lack the faith that God will take care of His body, His ministry, and His work. What do you think?
http://myscream.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/tithe-%e2%80%93-support-for-the-poor/
Comment by thenonconformer — August 4, 2008 @ 5:23 pm
“A Theologian’s Conclusions
http://www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com.
reference as http://www.tithing-russkelly.com.
russell-kelly@att.net
WELCOME to my web site. Your questions and comments are always welcome. I am eager to engage in serious dialog about biblical tithing. In my opinion this recently added shackle of the Old Covenant Law is hindering the Church from a spiritual awakening. May love for Christ, His Word, His Church, His children and lost souls coupled with strong integrity, honesty and selflessness motivate everything we do is my prayer. Friends, I am not opposed to financially supporting churches and the advancement of God’s kingdom. However I am opposed to supporting churches using the false doctrine of NT tithing instead of better New Covenant freewill offering principles.
TITHING IS NOT A CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
An Essay by Russell Earl Kelly, Ph. D.
http://www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com
russell-kelly@att.net
Enlarged July 25, 2008
INTRODUCTION
The following essay is a summary of my book, Should the Church Teach Tithing? A Theologian’s Conclusions about a Taboo Doctrine. The book itself is a greatly expanded version of my Ph. D. thesis. I encourage Bible educators to be bold, to open up seminary level research and to promote studies on this subject in the Masters, Doctorate and Ph. D. levels. This doctrine is simply too important to ignore.
In many churches today the doctrine of tithing has reached the level of a modern scandal. While on the one hand, most seminary-level textbooks on systematic theology and hermeneutics by highly educated theologians omit tithing, on the other hand, the practice is quickly becoming a requirement for church membership in the very denominations which insist on solid Bible-based doctrines. There is also increasing evidence that lay persons who question the legitimacy of New Covenant tithing are usually criticized and ignored as being troublemakers or weak Christians. Sincere Christian leaders should always be open and available to discuss God’s Word. Failure to do suggests doubt and insecurity. More “holy boldness” is needed.
MODERN TITHING IS BASED ON MANY FALSE ASSUMPTIONS
One denomination’s statement on stewardship is typical. It says that “tithing is the minimum biblical standard and the beginning point which God has established that must not be replaced or compromised by any other standard.” It adds that the tithe is from gross income which is due to the church before taxes.
The following points of this essay contrast the false teachings used to support tithing with what God’s Word actually says.
POINT #1: CHRISTIAN GIVING PRINCIPLES: New Covenant Giving Principles in Second Corinthians 8 and 9 are Superior to Tithing.
The false teaching is that tithing is a divine mandatory expectation which always must precede free-will giving.
Christians are commanded to give freely, sacrificially, generously, regularly, joyfully and with the motivation of love for God and man. The following New Covenant free-will principles are found in Second Corinthians, chapters 8 and 9: (1) Giving is a “grace.” These chapters use the Greek word for “grace” eight times in reference to helping poor saints. (2) Give yourself to God first (8:5). (3) Give yourself to knowing God’s will (8:5). (4) Give in response to Christ’s gift (8:9; 9:15). (5) Give out of a sincere desire (8:8, 10, 12; 9:7). (6) Do not give because of any commandment (8:8, 10; 9:7). (7) Give beyond your ability (8:3, 11-12). (8) Give to produce equality. This means that those who have more should give more in order to make up for the inability of those who cannot afford to give as much (8:12-14). (9) Give joyfully (8:2). (10) Give because you are growing spiritually (8:3-4, 7). (11) Give because you want to continue growing spiritually (9:8, 10-11). (12) Give because you are hearing the gospel preached (9:13).
POINT #2: DEFINING “TITHE”: In God’s Word the Tithe was Always Only Food!
The false teaching is that biblical tithes include ALL sources of income.
Use God’s Word to define “tithe” and not a secular dictionary! Using a complete Bible concordance you will discover that the definition used by tithe-advocates is wrong. In God’s Word “tithe” does not stand alone. Although money existed before tithing, the source of God’s “tithe” over 1500 years was never money. It was the “tithe of food.” True biblical tithes were always only food from the farms and herds of only Israelites who only lived inside God’s Holy Land, the national boundary of Israel. No tithes were accepted from defiled pagan lands. The “increase” was gathered from what God miraculously produced and not from man’s craft or ability.
There are 16 verses from 11 chapters and 8 books from Leviticus 27 to Luke 11 which describe the contents of the tithe. And the contents never (again), never included money, silver, gold or anything other than food from inside Israel! Yet the incorrect definition of “tithe” is the greatest error being preached about tithing today! (See Lev. 27:30, 32; Num. 18:27-28; Deut. 12:17; 14:22-23; 26:12; 2 Chron. 31:5-6; Neh. 10:37; 13:5; Mal. 3:10-11; Matt. 23:23; Luke 11: 42).
POINT #3: MONEY: Money Was an Essential but Non-Tithed Item
The false assumption is that food barter usually replaced money.
One argument to support non-food tithing is that money was not universally available and barter from food was used for most transactions. This argument is neither biblical nor historical. Genesis alone contains “money” in 32 texts and the word occurs 44 times before the tithe is first mentioned in Leviticus 27. The word shekel also appears often from Genesis to Deuteronomy.
Many centuries before Israel entered Canaan and began tithing food from God’s Holy Land money was an essential everyday item. For example money in the form of silver shekels paid for slaves (Gen 17:12+); land (Gen 23:9+); freedom (Ex 23:11); court fines (Ex 21 all; 22 all); sanctuary dues (Ex 30:12+); vows (Lev 27:3-7); poll taxes (Num 3:47+), alcoholic drinks (Deu 14:26) and marriage dowries (Deu 22:29).
According to Genesis 47:15-17 food was used for barter only after money had been spent. Banking and usury laws exist in Leviticus even before tithing. Therefore the argument that money was not prevalent enough for everyday use is false. Yet the tithe contents from Leviticus to Matthew never include money from non-food products and trades.
POINT #4: GENESIS 14:20: Abraham’s Tithe to Melchizedek Reflected Pagan Tradition.
The false teaching is that Abraham freely gave tithes because it was God’s will.
Scores of reputable secular history books document the existence of spoils of war tithing from Babylon to Egypt before Abraham’s time. For the following reasons, Genesis 14:20 cannot be used as an example for Christians to tithe. (1) The Bible does not say that Abraham “freely” gave this tithe. (2) Abraham’s gift was NOT a holy tithe from God’s holy land gathered by God’s holy people under God’s holy Old Covenant. (3) Abraham’s tithe was clearly only from pagan spoils of war and was required in many nations. (4) In Numbers 31, God only required 1% of spoils of war. (5) Abraham’s tithe to his priest-king Melchizedek was a one-time recorded event. (6) Abraham’s tithe was not from his own personal property. (7) Abraham kept nothing for himself; he gave everything back. (8) Abraham’s tithe is not quoted anywhere in the Bible to endorse tithing to Israel or to the church. (9) Genesis 14, verse 21, is the key text. Since most commentaries explain verse 21 as an example of pagan Arab tradition, it is contradictory to explain the 90% of verse 21 as pagan, while insisting that the 10% of verse 20 was obedience to God’s will. (10) If Abraham is an example for Christians to give 10% to God, then he should also be an example for Christians to give the other 90% to Satan, or to the king of Sodom! (11) As priests themselves, neither Abraham nor Jacob had a Levitical priesthood to support; they probably left food for the poor at their altars.
POINT #5: NO MINIMUM PRINCIPLE: Tithing Was Not a Minimum Requirement from All Old Covenant Israelites
The false teaching is that everybody was required to begin their giving level at ten per cent.
Only those Israelites who earned a livelihood from farming and herding inside Israel were required to tithe under the Mosaic Law. Their increase came from God’s hand. Those whose increase came from their own crafts and skills were not required to tithe products and money. The poor and needy who did not tithe and received from the tithe gave freewill offerings.
POINT #6: LEVITE ASSISTANTS: First-Tithes were Received by Servants to the Priests.
The false teaching is that Old Testament priests received all of the first tithe.
The “whole” tithe, the first tithe, did not go to the priests at all. It was not even the “best” tenth (Lev 27:30-34). According to Numbers 18:21-24 and Nehemiah 10:37b, it went to the servants of the priests, the Levites. And according to Numbers 18:25-28 and Nehemiah 10:38, the Levites gave the “best tenth of this tithe” (1%) which they received to the priests who ministered the sin sacrifices and served inside the holy places. Priests did not tithe.
It is also important to know that, in exchange for receiving these tithes, both Levites and priests forfeited all rights to permanent land inheritance inside Israel (Num. 18:20-26; Deut. 12:12; 14:27, 29; 18:1, 2; Josh. 13:14, 33; 14:3; 18:7; Eze. 44:28). Even if tithes were New Covenant they would first go to the ordinary workers to assist the preachers and maintain the buildings.
POINT #7: HOLY AND MOST HOLY: “It is Holy to the LORD” Does Not Make Tithing an Eternal Moral Principle.
The false teaching is that Leviticus 27:30-33 proves that the tithe is an “eternal moral principle” because “it is holy to the LORD.”
The phrases “it is HOLY unto the LORD” and “it is MOST HOLY unto the LORD” are very common in Leviticus. However, almost every other use of these same two phrases in Leviticus has long ago been discarded by Christians. These phrases are used to describe all of the festivals, the sacrificial offerings, the clean food, the old covenant priests and the old covenant sanctuary. Especially read verses 28 and 29 in the same chapter.
While the “tithe of the tithe” (1%) which was given to the priests was the “best” of what the Levites received, the tithe which the Levites received was only “one tenth” and not the “best” (Lev. 27:32, 33).
POINT #8: FIRST-FRUITS: First-fruits are Not the Same as Tithes
The false assumption is that tithes are first-fruits.
The first-fruit was a very small amount of the first crop harvest and the first-born was the first offspring of animals. First-fruits come only come from inside Israel.
The first-fruit was small enough to fit into a hand-held basket (Deut. 26:1-10; Lev. 23:17; Num. 18:13-17; 2 Chron 31:5a).
First-fruits and first-born offerings went directly to the Temple and were required to be totally consumed by ministering priests only inside the Temple (Neh. 10:35-37a; Ex. 23:19; 34:26; Deut. 18:4).
The whole Levitical tithe went first to the Levitical cities and portions went to the Temple to feed both Levites and priests who were ministering there in rotation (Neh. 10:37b-39; 12:27-29, 44-47; Num. 18:21-28; 2 Chron 31:5b). While the Levites ate only the tithe, the priests could also eat from the first-fruits, first-born offerings and other offerings.
POINT #9: FOUR TITHES: There are Four Different Tithes Described in the Bible.
The false teaching ignores all other tithes and focuses on an incorrect interpretation of the first religious tithe.
The first religious tithe, called the “Levitical tithe,” had two parts. Again, the whole first tithe was given to the Levites who were only servants to the priests (Numb. 18:21-24; Neh. 10:37). The Levites, in turn, gave one tenth of the whole tithe to the priests (Numb. 18:25-28; Neh. 10:38). According to Deuteronomy 12 and 14, the second religious tithe, called the “feast tithe,” was eaten by worshipers in the streets of Jerusalem during the three yearly festivals (Deut. 12:1-19; 14:22-26). And, according to Deuteronomy 14 and 26, a third tithe, called the “poor tithe,” was kept in the towns every third year to feed the poor (Deut. 14:28, 29; 26:12, 13). Also, according to First Samuel 8:14-17, the ruler collected the first and best ten per cent for political use. During Jesus’ time Rome collected the first ten per cent (10%) of most food and twenty per cent (20%) of fruit crops as its spoils of war. It is dishonest to single out the one religious tithe and ignore the other two important religious tithes.
POINT #10: THE POOR: Jesus, Peter, Paul and the Poor Did Not Tithe
The false teaching is that everybody in the Old Testament was required to begin their giving to God at the ten per cent level.
The poor were not required to tithe at all! Neither did the tithe come from the results of man’s crafts, hands and skills. Only farmers and herdsmen gathered what God produced as tithe increase. Jesus was a carpenter; Paul was a tentmaker and Peter was a fisherman. None of these occupations qualified as tithe-payers because they did not farm or herd animals for a living. It is, therefore, incorrect to teach that everybody paid a required minimum of a tithe and, therefore, that New Covenant Christians should be required to at least begin at the same minimum as Old Covenant Israelites. This common false assumption is very often repeated and completely ignores the very plain definition of tithe as food gathered from farm increase or herd increase.
The widow’s mite is an example of free-will giving and is not an example of tithing. According to Edersheim none of the Temple’s chests were for tithes. The poor received money from those chests before leaving the temple.
It is also wrong to teach that the poor in Israel were required to pay tithes. In fact, they actually received tithes! Much of the second festival tithe and all of a special third-year tithe went to the poor! Many laws protected the poor from abuse and expensive sacrifices which they could not afford (Lev. 14:21; 25:6, 25-28, 35, 36; 27:8; Deu. 12:1-19; 14:23, 28, 29; 15:7, 8, 11; 24:12, 14, 15, 19, 20; 26:11-13; Mal. 3:5; Matt. 12:1, 2; Mark 2:23, 24; Luke 2:22-24; 6:1, 2; 2 Cor. 8:12-14; 1 Tim. 5:8; Jas. 1:27).
POINT #11: TAXES: Tithes were Often Used as Political Taxes.
The false teaching is that tithes are never comparable to taxes or taxation.
In the Hebrew economy, the tithe was used in a totally different manner than it is preached today. Once again, those Levites who received the whole tithe were not even ministers or priests — they were only servants to the priests! Numbers chapter 3 describes the Levites as carpenters, metal workers, leather-craftsmen and artists who maintained the small sanctuary. And, according to First Chronicles, chapters 23-26, during the time of King David and King Solomon the Levites were still skilled craftsmen who inspected and approved all work in the Temple: 24, 000 worked in the Temple as builders and supervisors; 6,000 were officials and judges; 4,000 were guards and 4,000 were musicians. As political representatives of the king, Levites used their tithe income to serve as officials, judges, tax collectors, treasurers, temple guards, musicians, bakers, singers and professional soldiers (1 Chron. 12:23, 26; 23:2-5; 26:29-32; 27:5). It is obvious why these examples of using biblical tithe-income are never used as examples in the church today.
Tithes never stimulated Old Covenant Levites or priests to establish a single mission outreach or encourage a single Gentile to become an Israelite (Ex. 23:32; 34:12, 15; Deut. 7:2). Old Covenant tithing was motivated and mandated by Law, not love. In fact, during most of Israel’s history the prophets were God’s primary spokesmen – and not the tithe-receiving Levites and priests. Tithing failed! See Hebrews 7:12-19.
POINT #12: LEVITICAL CITIES: Levitical Tithes Were Usually Taken to the Levitical Cities.
False teachers want us to think that all tithes were formerly taken to the Temple and should now be taken to the “church storehouse” building.
Nehemiah 10:37b and Second Chronicles 31:15-19 make it clear that the people were to bring the tithes to the Levitical cities where 98% of the Levites and priests needed them for food (also Num 18:21-24). And Nehemiah 10:38 makes it clear that normally only Levites and priests had the task of bringing tithes into the Temple (also Num 18:24-28).
The “whole” tithe NEVER went to the Temple! According to Numbers 35, Joshua 20, 21 and First Chronicles 6, Levites and priests lived on borrowed land where they farmed and raised (tithed) animals. (Also 2nd Chron. 11:13-14; Neh. 12:27-29; 13:10; Mal. 1:14.)
POINT #13: MALACHI: Malachi 3 is the Most Abused Tithing Text in the Bible. The “whole” tithe never was supposed to go to the Temple!
The false teaching about tithes from Malachi 3 ignores important Bible facts.
A. CONTEXT: Malachi is Old Covenant and is never quoted in the New Covenant to validate tithing (Lev. 27:34; Neh. 10:28-29; Mal. 3:7; 4:4).
B. CONTEXT: In Malachi 3:10-11 tithes are still only food 1000 years after Leviticus 27.
C. LAW: Malachi’s audience had willingly reaffirmed the Old Covenant (Neh.10:28-29). The blessings and curses of tithing are identical to and inseparable from those of the entire Mosaic Law. The rain in Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24 and Leviticus 26:1-4 is only obtained by obedience to all 613 commandments. Galatians 3:10 (quoting Deu 27:26) “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Trying to earn God’s blessings through tithing only brings curses for failure to keep all of the law. See also Galatians 3:19.
D. PRIEST-THIEVES: Beginning in 1:6 “you” in Malachi always refers to the dishonest priests and not the people (also 2:1-10; 2:13 to 3:1-5): “Even this whole nation of you –priests” (3:9). In 1:13-14 the priests had stolen tithed animals vowed to God. In Nehemiah 13:5-10 priests had stolen the Levites’ portion of the tithe. God’s curses on the priests are ignored by most tithe-teachers (1:14; 2:2 and 3:2-4).
E. LEVITICAL CITIES: Point #12. The Levitical cities must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3:10 and they are not. Most tithe-recipients lived outside of Jerusalem.
F. 24 Courses: The 24 courses of Levites and priests must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3 and they are not. Normally only 2% of the total Levite and priest work force served at the temple one week at a time. Subtract wives, males under the age of 30 and daughters. Therefore 2% did not require all of the tithe. See 1 Chron 23-26; 28:13, 21; 2 Chron. 8:14; 23:8; 31:2, 15-19; 35:4, 5, 10; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 11:19, 30; 12:24; 13:9, 10; Luke 1:5.
G. Nehemiah 10:37-39 is the key to understanding Malachi 3:10, The people were commanded to bring their tithes, not to the temple, but to the nearby Levitical cities. Verse 38 says that the priests were with the Levites in the Levitical cities when they received the tithes.
H. STOREHOUSE: According to Nehemiah 13:5, 9 the “storehouse” in the Temple was only several rooms. The real “storehouses” were in the Levitical cites per Nehemiah 10:37b. Only the Levites and priests normally brought tithes to the Temple (10:38). Two rooms in the Temple were far too small to contain the tithe from the entire nation and 98% of the Levites and priests lived too far away to eat from them.
Therefore, Malachi 3:10’s “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” only makes contextual sense if it is only commanding dishonest priests to replace the tithes they had removed from it or had failed to bring to it.
While the 3:10 of the Law in Malachi is so important to tithe-teachers they ignore the 3:10 of the Gospel in Galatians and 2nd Corinthians. Perhaps those wanting to enforce the 3:10 Law of Malachi should also enforce the 3:10 Law of Numbers. They share the same context.
POINT #14: MATTHEW 23:23: The New Covenant Does Not Teach Tithing.
The false teaching is that Jesus taught tithing in Matthew 23:23 which, they say, is clearly in the New Testament.
The New Covenant did not begin at the birth of Jesus, but at his death (Gal. 3:19, 24, 25; 4:4, 5). Tithing is not taught to the church after the cross! When Jesus discussed tithing in Matthew 23:23, “you” referred to “you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites” who had made the Law a burden. Jesus endorsed and supported Old Covenant law until the cross (note “of the law” in 23:23). In Matthew 23:2 and 3 (the context of 23:23) Jesus told his Jewish followers to obey the scribes and Pharisees “because they sit in Moses’ seat.” Yet He did not (and could not) command Gentiles whom He healed to present themselves to the priests and obey the Law of Moses (compare Matt. 5:23-24 and 8:4). And churches do not collect tithes from garden herbs as Jesus commanded.
There is not a single New Testament Bible text which teaches tithing after the cross – period! Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35 are not examples of tithing to support church leaders. According to 2:46 the Jewish Christians continued to worship in the Temple. And according to 2:44 and 4:33, 34 church leaders shared what they received equally with all church members. (This is not done today).
Finally Acts 21:20-25 proves that Jewish Christians were still zealously observing all of the Mosaic Law 30 years later –and that must include tithing—otherwise they would not have been allowed inside the Temple to worship. Therefore, any tithes collected by the early Jewish Christians were given to the Temple system and not to support the church.
POINT #15: PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS: Old Covenant Priests Were Replaced by All-Believer-Priests.
The false teaching is that New Covenant elders and pastors are continuing where the Old Covenant priests left off and are due the tithe.
Compare Exodus 19:5-6 with First Peter 2: 9-10. Before the incident of the golden calves, God had intended for every Israelite to become a priest and tithing would have never been enacted. Priests did not tithe but received one tenth of the first tithe (Num. 18:26-28; Neh. 10:37, 38).
The function and purpose of Old Covenant priests were replaced, not by elders and pastors, but by the priesthood of every believer. Like other ordinances of the Law, tithing was only a temporary shadow until Christ (Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 2:13-17; Heb. 7:18; 10:1). In the New Covenant every believer is a priest to God (1 Pet. 2:9-10; Rev. 1:6; 5:10). And, as a priest, every believer offers sacrifices to God (Heb. 4:16; 10:19-22; 13:15, 16). Therefore, every ordinance which had previously applied to the old priesthood was blotted out at the cross. Since Jesus was not from the tribe of Levi, even He was disqualified. Thus the original temporary purpose of tithing no longer exists (Heb. 7:12-19; Gal. 3:19, 24-25; 2 Cor. 3:10-18).
POINT #16: CHURCH ASSEMBLY: The New Covenant Church is Neither a Building nor a Storehouse.
The false teaching is that Christian buildings called “churches,” “tabernacles” or “temples” replaced the OT Temple as God’s dwelling places.
God’s Word never describes New Covenant churches as literal “tabernacles,” “temples” or “buildings” in which God dwells! God’s church, God’s dwelling place, is within the believers. Believers do not “go to church” — believers “assemble to worship.” Also, since OT priests did not pay tithes, then tithing cannot logically continue. Therefore it is wrong to call a building “God’s storehouse” for tithes. (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19-20; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:21; 4:12-16; Rev. 3:12). For “storehouse” compare 1 Corinthians 16:2 with 2 Corinthians 12:14 and Acts 20:17, 32-35. For several centuries after Calvary Christians did not even have their own buildings (to call storehouses) because Christianity was an outlaw religion.
POINT #17 BETTER PRINCIPLES: The Church Grows by Using Better New Covenant Principles.
The false teaching implies that principles of grace giving are not as good as Old Covenant principles of giving.
Under the New Covenant: (1) According to Galatians 5:16-23, there is no physical law which controls the fruits of the Holy Spirit. (2) Second Corinthians 3:10 says that the Old Covenant has “no glory” when compared to the “surpassing” glory and liberty of the Holy Spirit. (3) Hebrews 7 is the only post-Calvary mention of tithing and it is an explanation of why the Levitical priesthood must be replaced by Christ’s priesthood because it was weak and unprofitable. Study Hebrews 7 and follow the progression from verse 5 to verse 12 to verse 19. (4)
The manner in which tithing is taught today reflects a failure of the church to believe and act on the far better principles of love, grace and faith. Mandatory giving principles cannot, has not and will not prosper the church more than principles guided by love for Christ and lost souls (2 Cor. 8:7-8).
POINT #18: PAUL PREFERRED SELF-SUPPORT: The Apostle Paul Preferred That Church Leaders Be Self-Supporting.
The false teaching is that Paul taught and practiced tithing.
As a Jewish rabbi, Paul was among those who insisted on working to support himself (Acts 18:3; 1 Thess. 2:9-10; 2 Thess. 3:8-14). While Paul does not condemn those who are able to receive full-time support, neither does he teach that full-time support is the mandatory will of God for advancing the gospel (1 Cor. 9:12). In fact, twice, in Acts 20:29-35 and also in 2 Corinthians 12:14, Paul actually encouraged church elders to work to support needy believers inside the church.
For Paul, “living of the gospel” meant “living by gospel principles of faith, love and grace” (1 Cor. 9:14). While Paul realized that he had a “right” to some support, he concluded that his “liberty,” or freedom to preach unhindered was more important in order to fulfill his calling from God (1 Cor. 9:12, 15; 2 Cor. 11:7-13; 12:13-14; 1 Thess. 2:5-6). While working as a tent-maker, Paul accepted limited support but boasted that his pay, or salary, was that he could preach the gospel for free, without being a burden to others (1 Cor. 9:16-19). Most young preachers today do not want to follow this example given by Paul.
POINT #19: Tithing Did Not Become a Law in the Church until A. D. 777.
The false teaching is that the historical church has always taught tithing.
The earliest Christian assemblies patterned themselves after the Jewish synagogues which were led by rabbis who, like Paul, refused to gain a profit from preaching and teaching God’s Word. There are many books on Jewish social life which explain this in great detail.
From Christ’s death until Christianity became a legally recognized religion almost 300 years later, the majority of great church leaders took self-imposed vows of poverty. This is historically documented! They took Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler in Luke 18:22 literally “sell all that you have, give it to the poor, and follow me.” Most church historians agree that these early church leaders for at least the first 200 years worked for a living and were self-supporting. A Christian leader could not tell a Roman census-taker that he was a full-time preacher of an “outlaw” religion.
Clement of Rome (c95), Justin Martyr (c150), Irenaeus (c150-200) and Tertullian (c150-220) all opposed tithing as a strictly Jewish tradition. The Didache (c150-200) condemns traveling apostles who stay longer than three days and ask for money. And travelers who decided to remain with them were required to learn a trade. These early opponents of tithing are not quoted by tithe-teachers.
Cyprian (200-258) tried unsuccessfully to impose tithing in Carthage, North Africa around A. D. 250. However at his conversion Cyprian gave away great personal wealth to the poor and lived under a vow of poverty. His idea of tithing included equal re-distribution to the poor. And –we must remember— his ideas of tithing were not adopted.
When tithe-teachers quote Ambrose, Chrysostom and Augustine as “church fathers” they conveniently leave out the first 200 years of church history. Even after Christianity became legal in the fourth century many of the greatest spiritual leaders took vows of deep poverty and preferred to live unmarried lives in monasteries. If these tithe-teachers are quoted, then the church should also be told what kind of lives they usually led.
While disagreeing with their own theologians, most church historians write that tithing did not become an accepted doctrine in the church for over 700 years after the cross. According to the very best sources it took over 500 years before a local church Council of Macon in France, in the year 585, tried unsuccessfully to enforce tithing on its members. It was not until the year 777 that Charlemagne legally allowed the church to collect tithes. That is the history of tithing found in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana and the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia.
POINT #20. HERMENEUTICS: Tithe-teachers use their own blended “pick-and-choose” principles which are extremely inconsistent. They reject the basic Covenant principles of Calvin which discard tithing as part of the worship statutes. They also reject basic Dispensation principles which discard the entire Mosaic Law unless it is repeated to the Church in terms of grace. They attempt to teach that the whole Law is still in effect in order to include tithing and then discard almost everything except tithing. While quoting Matthew 5:17-18 they ignore 5:19 and the context of 5:20-48 which is an illustration of the whole law. Yet 5:17-18 demands either all of the Law of Moses or none of it in the Old Covenant context. The tithe-teachers blended compromise is a modern scandal of God’s Word.
CONCLUSION:
Tithing failed national Israel and it has also failed the Church (Heb 7:12-19). Churches showcase success stories but fail to mention the testimonies of those who have tithed for generations without escaping poverty. Today the very lowest income class pays the largest percentage to charity. Yet most remain in poverty. Meanwhile many atheists become wealthy by simply following principles of money management which also makes many tithers successful. Neither the lottery, nor the tithe is a magic get-rich-quick answer to replace education, determination and hard work. If Malachi 3:10 really worked for New Covenant Christians, millions of poor tithing Christians would have escaped poverty and would have become the wealthiest group of people in the world instead of remaining the poorest group. There is no evidence that the vast majority of poor “tithe-payers” are ever blessed financially merely because they tithe. The Old Covenant blessings are not New Covenant blessings (Heb. 7:18-19; 8:6-8, 13).
In God’s Word, “tithe” does not stand alone. It is the “tithe of FOOD.” The biblical tithe was very narrowly defined and limited by God Himself. True biblical tithes were always: (1) only food, (2) only from the farms and herds, (3) of only Israelites, (4) who only lived inside God’s Holy Land, the national boundary of Israel, (5) only under Old Covenant terms and (6) the increase could only be gathered from what God produced.
Therefore, (1) non-food items could not be tithed; (2) clean wild game animals and fish could not be tithed; (3) non-Israelites could not tithe; (4) food from outside God’s holy land of Israel could not be tithed; (5) legitimate tithing did not occur when there was no Levitical priesthood; and (6) tithes did not come from what man’s hands created, produced or caught by hunting and fishing.
I invite church leaders into an open discussion of this subject. The careful and prayer-full study of God’s Word is essential for church growth. May God bless you in that study.
(I encourage you to reprint and distribute this article. .)
The custom was almost universal in antiquity; for Greece and Rome see Pauly-Wissowa, Realencyclopädie, iv. 2306, 2423; for Babylon, M. Jastrow, Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, p. 668; for China, J. Legge, Chinese Classics, i. 119; for Egypt, G. Maspero, Struggle of Nations, p. 312.f The general notion of tax or tribute often prevailed over that of “the tenth” part, so that in Dion Halicarnassus (i. 23) and Philo (Dc mutat. noin.~. 607) hirapxai and &thTat are synonymous, and in Mahommedan law the “tithe” is sometimes only -510th or ~f’eth.” (1911 Encyclopedia)
“In the same manner the Greeks too, the Carthaginians, and the Romans devoted a tenth portion of the spoils of war to their deities.” (On the Acquisition of Territory and Property by Right of Conquest)
“The Greek League against Persia, founded in 481 vows a tenth of the spoils of war to the shrine (7:132), and this happens, after Salamis and Plataea.” (Herodotus on Greek Religion)
“During the twelfth century, evidence points clearly to the growing significance of warfare in the life of the towns, especially in Portugal, Leon, Castile and Aragon. Precise indications of this development are demonstrated in the increasing concern demonstrated by the makers of the municipal charters in three areas closely related to booty. The first is the royal demand to collect the one-fifth tax on the spoils of war, a tax the Christian rulers inherited from the Muslim practice of laying aside a portion of the gains of the jihad for Allah.” (Spoils and Compensations)
“For his courageous role in helping to take the Volscian town of Corioli, Caius Marcius, declining to accept one-tenth of the spoils, was named Coriolanus” (Roman Expansion to 133 BC)
“In the days of Abu Bakr much wealth came to the state on account of the spoils of war. The movable property won as booty on the battlefield was known as “Ghanimah”. Four-fifth of the spoils of war was immediately distributed among the soldiers who had taken part in the battle. The remaining one-fifth went to the State. The State’s one-fifth share was further divided into three parts. One part went to the family of the Holy Prophet, one part went to the Caliph, and one part was spent for welfare purposes.” (Political, Social, Economic and Military Organization)
“TITHES, a form of taxation, secular and ecclesiastical, usually, as the name implies, consisting of one-tenth of a man’s property or produce. The tax probably originated in a tribute levied by a conqueror or ruler upon his subjects, and perhaps the custom of dedicating a tenth of the spoils of war to the gods led to the religious extension of the term, the original offerings to deity being “firstfruits.”
“To maintain a warband a lord needed a constant supply of commodities to support the warriors and gold and silver to give out as gifts. There were two ways in which these could be obtained. If the warband were strong enough they could raid neighbouring regions and either force them to yield tribute or just carry off valuables. Cattle were a particular target of this activity, because of the relative ease of driving them from one area to another. Since raids would often lead to battles, another type of booty would be the wargear of vanquished opponents. The pillaging of the dead is frequently mentioned in poetry; Ongentheow’s body is stripped of his sword and helmet (Beowulf line 2986) and a Viking warrior attacks Byrhtnoth with the intention of taking his sword, armour and rings (Battle of Maldon line 160). It is not clear how these spoils of war would be divided, but it is likely that the majority would have been distributed among the participants in the raid with a proportion being retained by the lord.” (The Social Context of Warfare in Anglo-Saxon England)
“The inscription on the base reads: “The Messenians and Naupactians dedicated this to Olympian Zeus, a tithe from the spoils of war. Paionios of Mende made this, and was victor [in the competition] to make the akroteria for the temple”.” (The Nike of Paionios)
“Through the spoils of war, Edward was able to refill the bankrupt treasury. Heavily ransomed prisoners, brought fortunes in gold coin to their noble captors–who, in turn, paid a handsome tithe to the King.” (Edward III: King of Illusions)
“It was traditional to give the Byzantine Government a set percentage of the spoils of war.” (Chapter III: Eastern Expansion, emphasis added)
There are quite a number of books that have been written against tithing, and you can view the entire text of one of these books (or purchase it) online (see Should the Church Teach Tithing? by Dr. Russell Kelly). Dr. Kelly brought to my attention the fact that Abraham tithed on the spoils of war (which was a common practice in those days), as well as the proper interpretation of Malachi 3:8-10, which (after a lot of prayerful study) resulted in my change of mind concerning “New Testament tithing.” Dr. Kelly’s book examines in detail every passage of Scripture concerning tithing, and it has a chapter which answers various objections that people often make against the view that Christians do not need to tithe. ”
and the church, christians, hirelings should not be in the business of selling books, the full gospel should be preached freely to all on the net too. https://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/quartlerly-update-christian-posts/
Comment by thenonconformer — August 4, 2008 @ 6:15 pm
Thanks for the reply
NOW I already DO UNDERSTAND MUSLIMS ARE NOT JEWS OR CHRISTIANS, BUT MUSLIMS DO CLAIM TO FOLLOW THE GOOD EXAMPLE SET FORTH BY THEIR great great grandfatherS ABRAHAM, JACOB who FIRSTLY HAD TITHE, AND HAD had voluntarily given his tithe TO THE HIGH PRIEST OF SALEM of 10 percent of all his CONQUEST, income to God? THE SAME FOUNDING FATHER IN THE MUSLIM, JEWS AND GENTILES RELIGION NOW TOO.
(Gen 14:18 KJV) And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: 24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
(Lev 27:26 KJV) Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the LORD’S firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORD’S.
(Lev 27:28 KJV) Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.
(Lev 27:30 KJV) And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.
(Lev 27:31 KJV) And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. 33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. 34 These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.
(Heb 7:1 KJV) For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. 4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. 5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: 6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
(Heb 7:11 KJV) If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
(Heb 7:13 KJV) For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. 19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. 20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: 21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with
THE TITHING VERSES NO ONE SEEMS TO REFER TO AND WHY?
And Muslims clearly using the tithe to help pay serve the poor people is more in line with the tithe obligations practiced in the Old testament, and In the new testament, and is very unlike the tithe being practiced in the Christian Churches today. Although the old testament had a minimum of 1/7 of the tithe, of the 10 percent of the income, of the profits, or about 1.5 % TO THE POOR PEOPLE , WHILE the new testament had no limit AS TO how much one could give TO THE POOR PEOPLE.
Is this not so?
Some people would say that oaf all the religions in the world, I would have to say that the Christian and Mormon cult are the richest because of forced tithing. But yet they are not known for helping the poor people still.. Makes one wonder doesn’t it?
>>From: kirsten johnston
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 5:39 AM
Subject: answer
Thanks for your comment,
As muslims we are requested to pay a yearly tith or zakat with is about 2.25% on our profits. This is usually paid before the end of Ramadan and is then distributed to the needy only. If every one would do this, there would be no poor, but many of those who can pay easily do not.
the pastors— or Imams who lead the congregation in prayers and give lecturs or sermons especially before the Friday prayers, are payed from a different account. This is determined if the mosque is publically or privately owned. If it is private than the owner pays out of his own pocket. If it is public, the those who attend donate to a “box” weekly, or others donate a monthly amount towards the upkeep of the building and paying the Imam which in some countries is around $500-800 a month.
In some cases the amount will not be enough and then the community leader will have to go around and try to do fundraisers.
Hope this helps answer your question.
Every child is
A work of art
K. Hanin Nakhal
Educational Consultant ADHD/ADD
Washington State University
http://www.islamzpeace.wordpress.com
“Yaa Allaah, there is no ease except in that which You have made easy, and You make difficulty, if You wish, easy.”
>How are the pastors now being paid?
From love offerings or the tithe?
People who accept any portion of the tithe are not allowed to own any tangible property, such as a home, real estate.. according to the Bible too
Comment by thenonconformer — August 5, 2008 @ 8:54 pm
Ten Per Cent Of War Booty Paid by Abraham To Melchizedek
In Genesis, chapter 14, Abraham gave to Melchizedek ten per cent of the spoils, or war booty that had originally been taken in a pillaging raid by several kings. This was in accordance with the customs of his time. Abraham recovered this war booty, and the persons taken in the raid. This is verified in Hebrews 7:4 “… Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.” As spoils of war they are not identified as “the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree” or as “the tithe of the herd, or of the flock.” He then refused to keep the rest of the booty but returned it to those from which it had been stolen. Note that Abraham did not give anything out of his personal possessions to Melchizedek, nor was he accountable to anyone for his use of the ten per cent, i.e., tithes. None of this was in accordance with the law of Moses, as it didn’t exist at the time. God did not command Abraham to give a tenth to Melchizedek. His tithe was a free-will gift in accordance with established customs.
A Conditional Promise By Jacob To Give God Ten Per Cent
In Genesis 28:20-22-Jacob made a vow that if God would be with him and watch over the journey he was taking, give him food and clothes and a safe return to his fathers house, that he would make the Lord his God and give God a tenth of all God gave him. A tenth of “all God gave him” does not qualify as a tithe under the Mosaic law of tithing, which consisted of food. There are several conditions stated by Jacob concerning his giving to God, and we also have no biblical record of who Jacob paid tithes to or of him instituting tithing as a regular practice, much less in accordance with the law of Moses, which didn’t exist at the time. Jacob also was not accountable to anyone for his use of the ten per cent and God did not command him to give it.
Mosaic Laws Instituting The Tithe
The last five verses of the book of Leviticus discusses the tithe:
Leviticus 27:30:
30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.
Leviticus 27:31:
31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
Leviticus 27:32:
32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord.
Leviticus 27:33:
33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
Leviticus 27:34:
34 These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.
Verse 30 describes the tithe of the land as being seed of the land, or fruit of the tree. This is more clearly spelled out as corn, (new) wine, oil, honey, oxen and sheep in Deuteronomy 12:17; 14:23; 2 Chronicles 31:5,6 and Nehemiah 13:12. Verse 32 adds the tithe of the herd or flock. These are all clearly items of food that would continue to grow or multiply. This is not necessarily the sum total of all food items that were to be tithed. Rabbinic tradition later added other items some of which clearly do not fit the scriptural requirements.
From this it is immediately apparent that not all Israelites were to tithe. Those that were paid wages, such as those in the building trades, clothiers, miners, metalworkers, potters, leatherworkers, fishermen, gem-cutters, secretaries, physicians, merchants, sailors, money-changers, judges, administrators, soldiers, tax-collectors, government officials and school teachers, could not participate.
Note to whom this law applied in verse 34: “… commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for …” For who? “… the children of Israel …”
Numbers 18:21: “And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.”
God here says “… I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.”
Malachi 3:6
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Who is God talking to? “… ye sons of Jacob …”
Hebrews 7:5:
5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
Who takes tithes? “… the sons of Levi …” Under what authority? “… according to the (Mosaic) law …” From whom? “… of their brethren …”
The Levites had been set apart to God for service to the sanctuary because they came against their own kin and killed them because of their idolatry (Exodus 32:29; Numbers 8:5-26). They were responsible for their service to, and the integrity of, the tabernacle as assistants to the priests. They were also chosen by God as His, in place of the first born males (Numbers 3:5-13; 8:13-19). The Levites were given 48 towns and pasturelands for their livestock. However, they had no territorial inheritance. God Himself was their share and their inheritance among the Israelites (Numers 18; 35:1; Deuteronomy 10:8,9; 18:1-8). In addition to their portion of tithes the Levites also received portions of the sacrificial offerings, first fruits and first born portions consisting of agricultural products and livestock (Numbers 18). They lived the most part of the year in their own cities and came to the sanctuary at regular intervals to perform their share of the work.
During the time of King David, Levites were appointed to minister before the ark of the Lord in the tent he had prepared for it (2 Samuel 6:17; 1 Chronicles 15:1; 16:1,4-7,37). They continued their work in Solomons temple when it was completed and the ark transferred into it (1 Chronicles 6:31,32; 1 Kings 8:1-6; 2 Chronicles 5:1,5). In 1 Chronicles 22-29 multipled thousands of Levites were deployed by David to do and oversee the work of the service of the house of the Lord. There were officers and judges, gatekeepers, praise musicians and priests. Levites were also placed in charge of the temple treasuries.
The biblical history of the Levites shows they wavered in their duties and devotion as their original purposes deteriorated from those as defined by God—as did the rest of the nation of Israel. By the end of the Old Testament era the prophet was prompted to state these words in Malachi:
Malachi 2:1-9:
1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.
3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.
4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.
5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.
6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
8 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.
9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.
In Malachi 3:3 we read: “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” The story of the priest and the Levite who passed by the man who suffered at the hands of robbers (Luke 10:29-37) verifies the necessity of purifying those sons of Levi in their God-ordained ministry.
It should be clear from this brief history of the Levites that they were not dependent upon the tithe to support themselves.
The tithe is commanded under the Mosaic law for the children of Israel, to give to the children of Levi for an inheritance, for their service of the tabernacle of the congregation. This is confirmed in Malachi in addressing the sons of Jacob, and in Hebrews, stating the sons of Levi receive tithes under the authority of the law of Moses. As we shall see, the distribution of the tithe also included the fatherless, widows and strangers in the land.
God declared the tenth of all agricultural produce, and of all the flocks and herds were holy to Him. The Pharisees, under the Mosaic law in the time of Jesus, even added herbs such as mint and cummin as part of their oral traditions (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42). A person could redeem any part of his agricultural tithe by adding a fifth of the value to it. Every tenth animal, good or bad, belonged to God. If a person attempted to substitute one animal for another, then both animals belonged to God (Leviticus 27:30-34).
An Explanation, Not A Commandment
In Numbers, chapter 18, the Lord explains to Aaron the duties of the priests and Levites. God makes a statement in verse 21: “And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.”
This is best understood as meaning that God has given the Levites tithes from the entire land of Israel, rather than that they are to receive the sum total of each and every tithe given by the Israelites.
By interpreting it as meaning the totality of tithes, some commentators have stated that approximately 40 years later in the book of Deuteronomy, God changed the distribution of the tithe from all of it going to the Levites to a different method of distribution, by instituting up to three different tithes. It seems highly unlikely, however, that God, in His divine wisdom, would lack foresight in this matter and have to change His mind some 40 years later. Closer examination reveals one tithe, with different distributions.
The text in Deuteronomy, chapter 12 concerns a localized central place of worship in further explanation of the tithe by Moses as statutes and judgments concerning different aspects of God’s commandment in these laws. This is a totally different subject from that of an explanation to Aaron of the duties of the priests and Levites in Numbers, chapter 18.
If Numbers 18:21 is interpreted to mean the totality of the tithe was to go to the Levites it then conflicts with the distribution of the tithe as further explained in scripture.
In 2 Chronicles 31:4 we read: “Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord.” Hezekiah explicitly told the Israelites to give only the portion of the tithe that went to the priests and the Levites as an expedient for them to reassume their priestly duties.
(We find that same expression in Nehemiah 12:44 referred to as “the portions of the law:” “And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.”)
If the tithe was given to the Levites each year, Hezekiah would not have had to differentiate a portion of the tithe from the totality of the tithe. He would simply have ordered that the tithe must resume and it would have been understood that it all went to the Levites. Hezekiah’s reference to a portion of the tithe referred to the third year portion of the tithe for the Levites, which included provision for the fatherless, the widow and the stranger in the land. The portion further identified it as that part of the third year tithe that went specifically to the Levites for the express purpose of them reassuming their priestly duties.
Tithe My 10 Sheep … Please! Well, One More Time … And One For The Road …
When we recognize the differences in the distribution of tithes in these verses it also eliminates any conjecture as to the possibility of there having been two, or possibly three different tithes. That concept in itself is illogical. A tithe is a tenth. A tithe of 100 items would be ten per cent, or 10, leaving 90.
How do you impose a second tithe now? Do you again take ten per cent of the original 100, when in fact, there are only 90 left? Or do you take ten per cent of the remaining 90, which is now only nine? We have a much worse problem doing this for a third time. Again, do we take from a non-existent 100, or only from the remaining 81? Ten per cent of 81 is 8.1. How do we determine what “.1,” of a piece or unit of agricultural produce is? The tithe is “most holy unto the Lord.” Deuteronomy 12:32: “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.” Even the one-tenth of one per cent. How do we handle that?
How do you tithe ten sheep, three times? After the first tithe nine sheep are left. So the second tithe can’t be taken as there are only nine sheep left and there is no tenth sheep to pass under the rod. And do you have them pass under the rod the third time, just for ritual?
We can see that a person with less than ten animals could not tithe them, nor could he redeem them for money.
There was only one tithe, with different distributions.
http://www.angelfire.com/in/HisName/arttithe.html
STILL HOW MUCH WAS THE TITHING WAS ALSO TO BE GIVEN TO TO THE POOR PEOPLE?
Comment by thenonconformer — August 5, 2008 @ 9:05 pm
Hey guys?! why don’t we start a fellowship of our own without tithing going to a “professional” clergy? Just an idea?!
We can rent a place to start – can’t we?!
Comment by Arthur — August 7, 2008 @ 7:21 am
Actually that is what I did eventually after not being able to find any decent, real honest evangelical church in one city. I started my own home church for 22 poor people, and for years I never took one offering, once cent from them, but fed them all freely once a week too. I cooked all the meals too. In fact in my past decades of Christian Ministry I have never took a cent, God supplied the money, all the books, computers for my Ministry needs, and all of my material is also free available on the web to all, with no copyrights now too. I prefer to Give freely as God freely gives to me still too. I have been minstering actively on the net for over a decade now too.
Comment by thenonconformer — August 7, 2008 @ 7:25 am
Even some Pentecostals are skeptical of Todd Bentley’s tent revival
…
The services were different in another way, Bentley claims: God showed up in a powerful way. A New York public relations firm was quickly hired to send out press releases claiming “documented healings,” and God TV relentlessly plugged its broadcasts of the services.
The services, now held in a huge air-conditioned tent, have gone on for months now, and as many as 10,000 people a night are coming. Bentley claims hundreds of people have been healed of everything from deafness to infertility—though he did admit that in the latter case we wouldn’t know for sure until the women actually got pregnant. As for the other cases, WORLD made repeated requests for documentation of healings, but claims of “privacy issues” were the only response.
A visit to one of Bentley’s services suggests that he is learning how to turn the big crowds into big money. ATM machines have been set up, providing attendees with ready cash for the offering plate and book purchases. The offering is now a significant part of the service, taking as long as 30 minutes. Bentley has not released financial information, saying he is “too busy keeping up with what God is doing” to pull the information together.
More than 150,000 people have attended the meetings, and at least 1.2 million more (according to God TV estimates) have watched on television. Even accepting Fresh Fire’s estimate of an average donation of $3 to $5 per person, it’s easy to see how donations could end up in the millions.
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Comment by thenonconformer — August 7, 2008 @ 7:35 am
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Many Christians don’t know what the Bible really says about tithing. It’s so important for people to read and study the Bible on their own.
Tithing has no place in the Christian church. When preachers promote tithing they are actually placing Christians under the “curse of the Law.”
Voluntary, Spirit-led giving is the New Testament way for Christians. Stop tithing. Start giving.
Very informative post.
Comment by R. Renee — September 13, 2011 @ 8:06 am
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[…] who try to enforce tithing today keep even this obligations? Almost none and why was that? Greed.. https://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/the-ttihe/ . and it should not come as a surprise to you that if the Mothers are unfaithful, liars, so are […]
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[…] The Tithe […]
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